The BOOK – My Feast

Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi are the last of the prophetic books. They prophesied to the Jews after they returned to Jerusalem. Haggai is the first voice to be heard after the exile. Haggai is determined to persuade the people to rebuild the temple.

With a colossal task before them of rebuilding the temple and restoring the worship of Jehovah, the Jews laboured under the same old sins – idolatry and intermarrying with idolatrous neighbours. Because of all this, the work dragged and the people lost heart and became selfish. Neglecting the Lord’s house, they had become more interested in building homes for themselves than for God (Haggai 1:4). God would not allow all this to go on and so he sent punishment as a result. God sometimes allows hardships because of our indifference to him. Crops failed and business was depressed because of the sin of the Jews. When people forget to love God, they forget to love their fellow citizens.

In Haggai 2 we see people became discouraged because the new temple did not measure up the older one in any way which king Solomon build. The foundation itself was very small. But Haggai came with encouragement telling that God is going to pour his resources into the new building. “I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty” (Haggai 1:7). Haggai showed the people, their impurity. He made them realise their sinfulness. He showed them the reason their prayers were not answered was that they had put off so long completing the temple. Haggai showed them that the land had been rendered useless by their neglect, but God was working and it would be different now. “From this day in I will bless you” (Haggai 2:18-19).

I have seen people getting uncomfortable when questions are asked about their sins. Prophets and Servants of God are there in between us not only to pray and bless us, but also to show us the right path and warn us if we take the wrong one. May God help you to understand his words so that you will respect his servants and live a life which brings glory and honour to God and work for his kingdom through his church.